CLINTON, S.C. – The Presbyterian College softball team – after beginning the 2024 campaign with two victories and two losses last weekend – continues its nine-game home sequence on Friday in another Clinton Invitational. They'll enact a doubleheader tomorrow and Saturday, finishing an uber-busy slate with one more contest on Sunday.

Calculating a grand total of five matchups within a 72-hour window, the Blue Hose will face both the Eagles of Morehead State and the Youngstown State Penguins twice, adding a one-off with Valparaiso sandwiched in between.

PC's home-heavy month rolls on after splitting two-parters with Norfolk State and Tennessee Tech last weekend, downing the Spartans in both occasions by a wide margin (13-0 and 9-1). The Blue Hose have earned the W in 19 meetings when competing on their home turf since 2023, looking to keep that reputation with three visitors coming to town.

While Presby has brief history with two of its foes this weekend, the same cannot be said for Morehead in what will be a first-time-ever affair. Head coach David Williams spent seven seasons as the man in charge for the Eagles before arriving to PC, the first time that he'll cross paths with MSU since departing in 2018.

 
GAMEDAY INFO – FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 16
Presbyterian (2-2) vs. Morehead State (0-0) | Approx. 2:30 PM
WHERE: PC Softball Complex (Clinton, S.C.)
LIVE STATS: Stat Broadcast
 
Presbyterian (2-2) vs. Youngstown State (4-1) | Approx. 5:00 PM
WHERE: PC Softball Complex (Clinton, S.C.)
LIVE STATS: Stat Broadcast

 
GAMEDAY INFO – SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 17
Presbyterian (2-2) vs. Valparaiso (0-4) | Approx. 2:30 PM
WHERE: PC Softball Complex (Clinton, S.C.)
LIVE STATS: Stat Broadcast
 
Presbyterian (2-2) vs. Youngstown State (4-1) | Approx. 5:00 PM
WHERE: PC Softball Complex (Clinton, S.C.)
LIVE STATS: Stat Broadcast

 
GAMEDAY INFO – SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 18
Presbyterian (2-2) vs. Morehead State (0-0) | Approx. 12:15 PM
WHERE: PC Softball Complex (Clinton, S.C.)
LIVE STATS: Stat Broadcast

 
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT – MOREHEAD STATE
 
- While it's been six seasons since Williams departed the Bluegrass State to take the Blue Hose to new heights, the familiarity between the two parties should make for an interesting dynamic as they butt heads for the first time.

- Taking the MSU job in 2012, Williams guided the Eagles to 157 overall wins (71 within Ohio Valley Conference play) which ended with his best season in 2018 by posting 28 W's. Morehead achieved at least 20 victories in five of Williams' seven years there – including each of his last four – while winning 12 league games twice.

- Fast forward to 2024 (where Williams has already surpassed triple digits in the win column at PC), and Morehead State is a bit of an outlier due to the fact that they have yet to compete this semester. MSU finished last spring's slate at 12 games under .500 in OVC territory, going 11-33 as a whole during head coach Megan Griffith's first year with the program.

 
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT – YOUNGSTOWN STATE
 
- The Penguins, on the other hand, have begun '24 with a fiery 4-1 opening after winning each of their first four duals at a Gardner-Webb round robin event last weekend. Youngstown bested the Runnin' Bulldogs and Delaware once each, getting by ETSU in consecutive order (6-2 and 7-2).

- Predicted to finish fourth in the Horizon League, head coach Brian Campbell's 16^th squad at YSU is on pace for another productive route after authoring a 27-win season last year.

- Winning three straight bouts in the elimination side of the conference tournament back in May, the Penguins were responsible for both the Player-of-the-Week and Pitcher-of-the-Week honorees from the HL (Ashlyn Bishop and Sophie Howell respectively).

- Youngstown brings a stout defense with them to Clinton, holding the other side to two runs or fewer in all but one of their five encounters to this point.

 
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT – VALPARAISO
 
- The only opponent that will tussle with Williams' club just once this weekend, the Beacons of Valpo will arrive on Friday still in pursuit of their first victory of 2024. Head coach Meaggan Pettipece's second go-around has not featured a single run in four outings, defeated by Lehigh twice as well as Texas A&M and Tulsa.

- Valparaiso has conceded a minimum of seven scores in each of their games to stumble out of the gates, going 0-4 in a Lone Star tournament last weekend with three setbacks via the mercy rule.

- The brown and gold struggled mightily in 2023 as well, winning just eight out of 49 appearances that entailed a 4-23 mark in Missouri Valley Conference matchups.

 
LAST TIME OUT
 
- Presbyterian lined up 41 hits and 26 runs in their quadrant of games with TTU and Norfolk State, unsuccessful against the Golden Eagles but running away with both scuffles in the other two. They outgunned the Spartans by an added margin of 22-1, batting .366 collectively over the weekend.

- Spartanburg native Kasey Wolfe turned in a tremendous debut for the Blue Hose in the two splits, earning Big South Freshman of the Week plaudits after hitting .583 (seven-for-twelve) next to a team-best five RBI, eight total bases, and a .667 slugging percentage.

- Those offensive numbers are already strong in their own right, although the rookie added to her impressive stat line by pitching nine innings in two days and only allowing a single earned run. She retired seven batters while not walking anyone in six consecutive frames, earning her first collegiate victory in Saturday's run-rule win against NSU.

- Centerfielder Gracie DeCuir ended the weekend as PC's most efficient swinger with a six-for-eight ratio at the plate, followed closely by infielders Kaitlyn Tucker and Kelby Goodrum who both smacked over .400 in 24 combined at-bats.

- Seven separate players registered at least one extra-base hit for the blue and garnet, including a two-score homer from transfer Emma Yanes in her very first PC at-bat.